Solace in a Dream
by June Goddess
Summary: Isabel's dreamwalking adventures in Liz's dreams. Season Two. Not really lighthearted, or romancedriven. At the moment, anyway. Please read & review. Rating just in case.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_**By June Goddess**_

She was bored. _Really_ bored. Isabel Evans was the complete embodiment of boredom. And it was not fun. So what does a bored, a _really_ bored, Isabel Evans do? She dreamwalks. And who should she dreamwalk? Well, not an alien, that was a given. They would notice. And get angry. Especially Max. He had been especially testy since he and Liz had broken up. Which left humans. The world was filled with lots and lots of humans. But it did not make sense - and would not be nearly as much fun - to dreamwalk a complete stranger.

After a bit more debate, Isabel managed to justify dreamwalking Liz Parker. It was her original goal, but it had taken about ten minutes to really figure out her story as to why she would invade Liz's privacy should anyone ask. Not that they would. But just in case. It never hurt to be prepared.

Grabbing last year's yearbook, the blonde flipped quickly to Liz's class section, flipped past the A, B, and C sections, flipped past the L, M, and N sections, and finally got to the P section. Luckily, since Liz was 'P-A,' the task was even easier. Dropping her finger on Liz's shining, smiling face - _Practically a demented-chipmunk-kind-of-chipper face_, she thought - she let her powers fuse with the photograph.

And, once again, Isabel Evans entered the dreams of one Liz Parker.

"**Max." Liz's voice echoed throughout the dream. Isabel looked around. It was a very dark. Liz was not a dark person, and the main backdrop usually was an indication of personality. _Strange_, thought Isabel. _Ah well. I'll just sit and wait for something to happen, I suppose._**

**After a moment, a worn lawn chair appeared next to Isabel. Slowly the darkness melted into Liz's balcony. The stars were really bright. _This is sort of relaxing_.**

**Suddenly Max appeared. _Oh crap! Max!_ Isabel thought frantically. _Wait. This is Liz's dream. Of course Max would be here._**

"**I don't love you, Max. I want to have a normal life. I want to have kids someday. It's over, Max. I'm sorry." Isabel heard Liz's voice but could not see her. She looked around and spotted her in the shadows by a glowing heart with "L.P. + M.E."**

**Max's form went to the railing and went over. Liz's face became anguished and she ran to the balcony's edge. "Max!" she cried. "Oh God. Max. I love you. I love you, Max." She collapsed and heaved dry sobs.**

**Isabel watched, fascinated. She could not look away. It was heart-wrenching. She watched, stunned, as Liz spent several minutes crying her heart out. She eventually quieted and looked up at the stars.**

"**There'll never be another you. You're the only one I'll ever love."**

**Isabel looked around. _Who is she talking to? I'm the only one here, and she can't see me._**

**Liz fell silent for a moment. She looked like she was thinking. Her shoulders squared and she stood. "I want my wedding dance." With those words, she turned and looked past Isabel. Isabel turned and saw a man in the shadows. He stepped into the light and made his way to Liz. He looked like hell. He had gray hairs. He had long hair. He had scars. He was _much_ older. But his eyes, the eyes reserved only for Liz, those were Max's eyes.**

**This strange version of Max took Liz's offered hand and they danced. Once again, Isabel could not look away. The way the stared at each other… it was as if nothing else existed but the other. The feeling between the two was compelling and strong. It was beautiful. _They_ were beautiful.**

**Isabel watched as a tear escaped Max's desperate eyes when Liz tucked her head beneath his chin. She watched as he spun her one last time and disappeared, smiling for her as though nothing were wrong. She watched as he faded into nothing, leaving Liz still spinning, still smiling. When she stopped, she searched desperately for some sign of Max, but the defeat in her eyes said she knew he was gone. She looked to the stars. She never noticed the tears streaming down her moon-lit face.**

**Isabel watched all night as Liz stared at the stars and grieved, never moving.**

"Isabel! Honey, it's time for you to get up!" Diane's voice broke through Isabel's half-sleep. She swung her legs out of the bed and reached for her robe. As she passed the mirror, she saw the dried tears on her cheeks. For a long moment she stared at herself in the mirror, wondering about her nightly jaunt. She was no longer bored. But she wanted more. She needed more. She would dreamwalk Liz Parker until the other's dreams made sense.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

_**By June Goddess**_

The next night, Isabel sat in front of her vanity, brushing her hair. She loved to brush her hair to help her sort her thoughts. Tonight, it was imperative that she sort her thoughts. Especially those concerning her brother and his ex-girlfriend.

That day at school, Isabel had paid close attention to Liz. She had seemed withdrawn, and moody. Well, moody, when she was not completely apathetic. Liz hardly seemed to know what was going on anymore. Her hand rarely shot up in class, and she had tried to open, rather unsuccessfully, the locker she had had the previous year. Isabel had almost taken pity on her when Maria had showed up and made light of Liz's mistake. The slightly air-headed blonde had linked arms with her best friend and flounced down the hallway and around the corner. The quickly-masked concern in her eyes, however, told Isabel that Maria was very aware of Liz's strange behavior. That she was so worried and watchful, led Isabel to the conclusion that Maria might not know the reason behind her best friend's new attitude.

Isabel shook her head. She wanted to focus. She met her eyes in the mirror and sighed. She wondered if the spat Liz and Max had had in school today would affect whatever Liz dreamed tonight. Deciding to just find out, she hopped up from the seat and slipped under the covers of her bed. She grabbed the new addition to her nightstand, last year's yearbook, and went right to Liz Parker's photograph. Once again, Isabel slipped into another's dream.

"**I want to date boys. I want to see my twenty-first birthday." She rolled her eyes. "I want to have a wedding day."**

**She continued talking, but Isabel was no longer listening. _So this is what was going on in his room that night_, she thought. She had seen Liz cross the lawn to Max's window a week ago, but she had not known of the conversation. Something changed in Liz's eyes. Some shadow passed over her, it seemed. Isabel started listening again.**

"**You know," Liz started hesitantly, "I may love you… but I don't want to die for you." Max's tearful gaze was the last image before everything swirled to gray.**

Shocked, Isabel pulled away from the dream sequence. She awoke in her own bed, confusion in her head. She looked to the clock on the nightstand. Three forty-six. She groaned. Giving up, she sat up, turned on the lamp, and grabbed the journal in which she had been logging her "Liz" dreams. She had labeled it "The Liz Journal." She had never felt the inclination towards writing in one herself, since she had many secrets and only a fool would leave a paper trail, but this was a special case. Word problems and logic puzzles made sense to her when she had the black-and-white clues in front of her. This really was no different.

She spent the next half-hour writing every word spoken, describing every facial expression and gesture. She closed the cover and pondered over the contents. When she next looked at the clock on the nightstand, the time read four fifty-three. With a sigh, Isabel decided to get up and go for a run. Anything to clear her head for the start of a new day.

Breakfast was a tense affair. Her run had been great. The shower after had been sheer heaven. But seeing Max's face while knowing everything he and Liz were going through, and knowing it a little better than he did, was difficult. She and Max had made a habit of not keeping secrets from each other, but she was deliberately keeping the nightly excursions in Liz's dreams from him. She felt almost as though she were betraying him. Which sparked off another bout of discomfort as she remembered Congresswoman Whitaker's words about the princess she had once been. A princess who, according the Skins, had betrayed her family to the enemy and got everyone killed in their last life. Not pleasant morning thoughts.

While in third period, Isabel thought about the last dream. That had had a different feel to it. Like it might be a memory, not necessarily a dream. The first dream had been a dream, but the end had also changed to fit the memory feel. The questions and suppositions chased round and round inside her head, and she never noticed how tired she was. She also did not notice when her eyes blinked shut and did not blink open.

**She did notice, however, that she was no longer in her classroom and was in a dark and unfamiliar room instead. She looked around and saw Liz at the window with the Max look-alike peeking through the closed blinds. They were talking, but she could not hear them. They stole glances at each other. Their eyes drank in the other in those brief moments.**

**Isabel was struck again with the intensity of their relationship. Max had always watched Liz from afar, but since entering her radar after the shooting in the Crashdown, Liz had watched Max as much as Max watched her. Their looks catalogued every breath, every gesture. It was all-consuming, but neither seemed bothered by it. It was natural to them.**

**There was a sudden commotion, and Liz pushed the older-appearing Max to the back of the room. He hid behind a wall, just as Max, the one she knew, abruptly opened the door. He looked at Liz. It was the same look the other Max had directed at her. His voice, low and hard, was difficult to hear.**

**She watched as Liz's face crumpled. She watched as Max swooped on the smaller teenager and kissed her. Isabel looked away. There were some things she did not want to share with her brother, and his make-out sessions with Liz Parker was definitely one of those things.**

"**No, Max! I can't go out with you ever again," Liz cried. Isabel's eyes locked on the speaker. She looked distressed, scared.**

"**Liz," Max started, pleadingly. He also looked scared.**

**The brunette's jaw firmed. "No. You have to stop doing this."**

**He looked at her, his eyes dark, yet bared. Naked truth painted his face. "I can't." His voice, so hopeless, made Isabel want to weep. She watched as Liz let him walk out. Watched as yet another piece of the strange Max and Liz puzzle came to light.**

"Miss Evans, I trust my class didn't bore you to sleep?"

Isabel's eyes snapped open. She looked around the empty classroom. "Uh, I am _so_ sorry, sir. I haven't been sleeping well lately." She ducked her head and flashed the teacher a sheepish smile, and watched with satisfaction as he took the bait.

A smile tugged at the man's mouth. "Well, it's a first-time offense." In a mock stern voice he continued, "Just don't let me catch you at it again!"

Isabel laughed appreciatively. "I promise." She gathered her books, flashed her "supermodel" smile, and walked out the room.

In the hallway, she bumped into Max. "Hey, little brother. What class are you headed to?"

He looked at her strangely. "Trig." He swung his eyes forward and kept walking. When Isabel did not leave, he sighed. "What's up, Izzie? I thought you weren't talking to me."

She blinked. _Right. Breakfast._ "Well, I'm talking to you now, aren't I?" she retorted smartly, an eyebrow quirked, a smirk playing on her lips.

He snorted, the ghost of an answering smirk on his own lips. "Yeah, whatever." He rolled his eyes and sped up. He gave a half-wave to her as he walked into his classroom. She stood there for a moment and watched as a somber Liz Parker shuffled to the same doorway. The brunette hesitated and bit her lip nervously before going into the classroom.

Isabel's eyes narrowed at the mystery before her. Why had Liz broken up with Max? Who was the older Max in the memory-dreams? And why had Max really let Liz break things off with him?


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

_**By June Goddess**_

Somehow, Liz had done what Isabel had been unable to do. She had reached Max through Isabel's powers and saved him from death at the hands of the Dupes. It was days later, and Isabel found herself still puzzling over it. Ava, Tess's doppelganger, had said Liz had been changed from when she had been healed from the gunshot wound.

Isabel sighed. The delicate trust Max and Liz now shared had put a stopper on Liz's memory-dreams. And it was not as though the blonde could confront the brunette with the knowledge inside her head. That would be very bad. She was happy for her brother and Liz. They were attempting to be friends. The dead look in Liz's eyes was fading more and more every day.

She sighed again. She could not sleep. A glance at the clock on the nightstand furthered her upset. She would normally be in one of Liz's dreams. _Ah, well, _she thought. _I'll give it a shot._ Flipping the yearbook open, she fell into Liz's dreams once more.

"**You're the one I trust."**

**Isabel blinked in the familiar scene of Liz's balcony with the Max look-alike. Liz was near tears watching the man helplessly.**

"**Please, Liz. I need you to make me fall out of love with you." The dark look, full of regret, speared through Isabel, though she knew he could not see her. He was looking off into the distance.**

**Liz's tears fell. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what I _can_ do."**

**The balcony was melting. Isabel went rigid in alarm. This was extremely unusual. Just as though nothing happened, the balcony solidified. The former occupants were still talking, only they were inside.**

"**Tess left… because of me?" Liz's voice was uncertain.**

**The Max look-alike shook his head. "No. Because of me." He sighed. "When things between us were… cemented, I pushed Tess away. But without her, we were left unprotected. The four of us - Michael, Isabel, Tess, and I - we form a complete unit. When our enemies came to Earth, Tess was long gone. It was the end of the world."**

Isabel's eyes snapped open. The words reverberated through her skull. She forgot to breathe. She could not process this latest dream. Moreover, she had been so surprised, she had leapt out of Liz's memory-dream back to her own body and consciousness. Her lungs were hurting. A painful gasp returned her to normal breathing.

She sat up and looked in her mirror. The face looking back was her own. It was odd to see something so normal as her face. The words "It was the end of the world" kept circling themselves in her head. She could no more stop them from their merry-go-round repetition than stop the herself from blinking.

She sat staring at her reflection until her alarm starting ringing. She gasped at the time. Hurriedly turning off the annoying alarm, she dove for her "Liz Journal" and recorded the latest blip she had stumbled upon. She spent the majority of the morning staring at the words she had written.

Luckily, it was a Saturday, so she did not have school. Which was very good, since she could not concentrate on anything. Diane, concerned for her daughter, suggested she go for a walk. Isabel had agreed. Strangely, she found her steps led her to the Crashdown. Just in time for the end of the lunch rush.

She walked in, waved half-heartedly to a busy and distracted Maria, and sat in a corner booth. She watched as Liz wiped down the counter and alternately ran the cash register. After a few minutes, Maria whirled to a stop in front of her, whipped out her order pad, and poised her pen expectantly.

Isabel blinked. She tilted her head to the side and regarded the other blonde. Maria was looking frazzled, and more so the longer she stood waiting for Isabel's order. She opened her mouth, no doubt to tell Isabel to hurry up, when Isabel decided to speak.

"Actually, Maria, I'd really like to talk to Liz." Maria frowned. "Whenever she's free is good, but I really want to talk to her." Maria crossed her arms. "I'm not really hungry." Maria began tapping her foot. "A coke would be great." Maria smiled beatifically. Isabel sighed.

Her coke arrived ten minutes later. Liz arrived twenty minutes after her second refill.

The brunette smiled nervously. "Hey, Isabel," she greeted quietly. "Maria said you wanted to talk to me?" At Isabel's nod, she looked around the restaurant quickly. "I don't really know how long I have. There's only a brief lull between the lunch rush and the afternoon rush," she warned.

Isabel nodded impatiently. "Yeah, I know. Sit down, Liz. We need to talk." Her voice was harder than she would have liked. Harder than Liz would have liked as well, if her wince was any indication. She softened her voice. "Please."

Liz sat down. She looked at the blonde across from her. She looked at the table top. She looked at the floor. She looked at the doors. She looked at the waitresses still working.

Isabel sighed. This was harder than she thought. She looked at Liz again. She sighed again. "Liz," she began, hesitantly, cursing herself for her reluctance. Liz looked at her. Isabel firmed her resolve once more. "Liz. What did that man - the one who looks like Max - what did he say about the end of the world? What did he mean by it?"

Isabel watched, curiously, as the brunette stilled. She did not appear to be breathing. She was not blinking. Her dark, dark eyes impaled Isabel's with urgency. "How did you find out?" Her words and breath exploded simultaneously. She reached for Isabel's hand and gripped it tightly. "Tell me!" she whispered furiously.

The blonde felt the first glimmer of caution at the girl's reaction. Carefully, she looked around. No one was looking their way. She leaned forward slightly. "I dreamwalked you," she uttered softly.

Dark brown eyes glared into chocolate brown eyes. Long moments passed. A crash came from the backroom, and a fluent stream of Spanish curses - unmistakably Maria's dulcet voice - filtered through the restaurant. Liz pulled back sharply. A quick mutter of dismissal and she was gone.

Isabel sat back and winced as feeling returned to her hand. Looking down, she saw the half-moon marks left by Liz's fingernails. They looked angry. She sighed. Dropping money to the table, she walked out of the Crashdown and meandered the streets of Roswell.

She never saw the occupant of the booth just behind her. She never caught the intent gaze that followed her out. She never looked back to see the thoughtful stare that regarded a certain waitress back to wiping down the counters. And no one saw as he slipped into the backroom and snuck into the living quarters of the Parker family. Completely unnoticed, the young man smiled and passed a hand over his face, changing his appearance to match that of Max Evans.

A few blocks away, Max Evans smiled as he watched Tess feed birds in the park. They had been spending more time together since the trip to New York City. Isabel saw them and changed her course. She did _not_ want to talk to either of those particular alien hybrids. She just wanted to think. She wanted things to be simple again. She did not want this constant feeling that something had gone terribly wrong with Liz. She broke into a run and did not stop until her tears blinded her vision so badly she could no longer see blurs rushing past.

When she did stop, she was at Alex Whitman's house. Breathing hard, she stared at his window, willing his familiar form to appear. But it never did.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_**By June Goddess**_

It was official. Liz and Max were friends. They could be seen walking together, talking together, eating together, and studying together. He was around when she was working. She would drop take-out on the nights he spent working. Everyone was just thrilled with the news.

Well, not Isabel Evans. Isabel was, in fact, rather peeved with the whole affair. She had finally confronted Liz about her dreams, and what did Liz do? She did not appear to be dreaming. If Isabel were the suspicious type, she would think it was a deliberate attempt on the other girl's part to keep her privacy intact.

Hah! It did not fool the tall blonde, however. She knew this game. And she would take Parker down!

She was so wrapped up in her feverish thoughts, she failed to notice her mother resting the back of her hand against her forehead. She also did not hear a thing Diane Evans said, including that Isabel should stay home for the day. Of course, Isabel also did not even realize the time, so she had no idea she was very late in her usual regimen for getting ready. Very late, indeed.

"Hey, Mom?" Max inquired softly of his adoptive mother.

Diane smiled gently in return. "Yes, dear?"

He shot a questioning look at his sister. Her eyes were unblinkingly wide open and glazed. She was also muttering to herself strangely. "Is Izzy going to be all right? She really doesn't look so great." His worried tone and furrowed brow earned him a one-armed hug from the surprisingly strong smaller woman.

"Oh, don't worry about a thing." She lowered her voice conspiratorially. "I've noticed Izzy hasn't been sleeping well lately. I was expecting something like this a lot sooner, actually, but you both seem to have excellent immune systems." She sighed dramatically. "There is only so much the human body can take, however. These restless nights of hers are finally catching up to her, that's all." With a slight push towards the front door, Max found himself easily dismissed.

He walked to the jeep, more than a little perturbed. The drive to school was quiet, allowing him to brood to his heart's content. The first part of the day passed so quickly, he was in lunch before he knew it. A quick perusal of his notebook proved he _had_ taken notes, and he _had _written down the homework. Glancing over the homework assignments, he rather wished he had simply forgotten to pay attention at all. Tonight's work load was not going to be fun at all. He groaned and focused instead on the food in front of him.

It was not until Liz was half-way through her apple and ranting about the evils of gym class that a comment his mother had made finally registered. _Izzy hasn't been sleeping well lately._ Like a connect-the-dots game, it was clear to Max that his sweet sister, his sweet, _conniving_ sister, was frolicking about in people's dreams. A cold anger seeped into his mind as he contemplated with his own photographic memory just how long Isabel had been "not sleeping well."

The once cold anger burned a fiery path through his veins. A part of him realized that he was over-reacting. That same part of him wondered at the quick spread of anger and the niggling feeling of betrayal he was feeling. Betrayal was not an altogether unfamiliar feeling, which left him with the distinct notion of getting as far as possible from the chattering brunette sitting across from him. He stood abruptly and walked off.

Liz shivered at the cold glare in his eyes. Bitterness swelled once more as she fought with regret over having hurt him, as well as the hint of suspicion always lurking in the eyes of her one-time boyfriend. Once again, she had seen that suspicion full force. And things between them had been going so well. Without thought, Liz sank into her familiar depression. Another bite of her apple convinced her lunch was over. Everything tasted like ashes. Again.

Hours later, Isabel had become rather irritated with all the attention her worry-wart mother was doting on her. Pleading a headache, which was very real, she sought refuge in her room. She paced her room before flopping onto her bed.

The strange connection she had forged with Liz over the past weeks with her dreamwalking had left a permanent impression on her mind of Liz's moods. Another mood swing in the "Liz" section of her brain was giving her a major migraine. A wave of swamping desolation nearly drowned her in her mind. Isabel gasped sharply at the pain it provoked.

For some reason, and she believed Max was at the root, Liz had gone from jubilant that morning to bleak at lunchtime. School had already been let out, and she knew Liz would be working at the Crashdown for the next several hours. She also knew Max would be working till late at the UFO Convention Center.

So, with nothing better to do, Isabel popped a couple sleeping pills and fell into dreamless slumber. If nothing else, she would rid herself of the Liz-induced migraine.

Being asleep, she had no sense of time. But, being in the habit of seeking Liz's mind as soon as sleep struck, she found herself invading Liz's preoccupied and _conscious_ mind. Vague impressions filtered through her mind. Strangely, Liz felt as though she were being watched. Being in her mind, somewhat, Isabel also felt the same. She wished she could see through Liz's eyes, or, better, that she could walk out the house and visit the Crashdown.

Neither wish was a possibility, however. In her mind, she sighed deeply. She sighed again at the thought that she had been sighing a lot since deciding to figure out her brother's ex-girlfriend. Sleep for Isabel was gentle and easy, with the constant presence and awareness of a girl she did not really know, yet to whom she was connected. Diane looked in on her later and smiled at the relaxed girl.

After his shift, Max came home and crept silently into his sister's room. For long moments he stood over her, watching her peaceful smile, trying to rid himself of his still lingering anger.

Liz, across town, never did sleep that night. She stared at the stars, hoping to find her secret desires in the darkness. She was unaware of the connection to the blonde woman in her head. She was only aware of the chasm of pain and loneliness that had once been her strong, shining connection to Max.

On the rooftop of a building adjacent to the Crashdown, a young man watched the brunette watching the stars. His eyes drank in the vision of her. He remained still, just watching her as he had since overhearing a conversation in the alien-themed restaurant below her. For so many years, he had been searching. He had never been able to find what he was looking for, but now he knew. He had been searching for _her_. _Liz Parker_.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_**By June Goddess**_

**Images rushed past. So many images. They alternated between a happy, loving couple together, to a dark, depressed couple fighting. Some of the images were familiar to Isabel. Some were surprisingly new.**

**She saw Liz shot in the Crashdown. Max healed her. The unblinking eyes of Liz Parker watched as Max Evans ran out of the restaurant.**

**She saw Liz walk out on Max after he begged her not to tell anyone about his secret.**

**She saw the night after when Max forged a connection with Liz. She saw the wonder in Liz's eyes as she looked, and really saw, the boy before her.**

**She watched as Max walked away from Liz, leaving her alone at the Crash Festival.**

**She saw the kiss on the rooftop after the heat wave.**

**She saw the argument they had about Michael.**

**She saw the countless kisses from when they were searching for the orbs. She felt the helpless, desperate need Liz felt when she kissed Max.**

**She saw the kissing scene between Max and Tess in the rain outside the Crashdown.**

**She saw the two confess their love after saving Max from the White Room.**

**She saw Liz walk away from the pod chamber and Max after realizing his destiny.**

**She saw the fortune teller. She heard the strange woman say Max would marry her. _He would choose love._**

**She saw the Max look-alike appear on Liz's balcony.**

**She saw Max serenade Liz and throw a bouquet of roses to her, changing the roses from red to white.**

**She saw Max's disbelief at seeing Liz and Kyle in bed together.**

**She saw Liz dancing with the Max look-alike.**

**She saw Max and Liz fighting.**

**She saw Max. She was stuck in Liz Parker's head and could do nothing but watch Max. She felt more and more the connection between the two. She felt the way they drew each other. She felt the obsession that had been there from the beginning. She felt the mindless need Liz felt for the alien hybrid. She felt the darkness swelling in her mind at every glare Max directed towards her.**

Isabel's eyes snapped open. She could not breathe. She gasped for air. Being in Liz's mind this time had been like drowning. Awareness returned to her gradually, and she became aware that she was not alone in her room. The lights were on as well. Dimly, she heard her mother calling her name. Feeling like she was wrapped in cotton, she slowly focused on the worried figures of her parents. Max, dark and unblinking, watched from the doorway. She shuddered as she wrenched her eyes away from her brother's.

"I'm fine," she rasped. Her throat felt as though it had been turned into sandpaper.

"Izzy, honey," Diane tearfully began, "you gave us quite a scare. All that screaming and thrashing. Then, when you wouldn't breathe… Are you sure you're all right? Would you like to talk to a doctor?" Diane's hands restlessly smoothed her daughter's hair and clasped her cold, clammy hands.

"I'm sure a doctor won't be necessary, Mom." Max's words had a finality to them that brought Isabel around. Their dad was looking at Max. Max was looking at Isabel.

"Max, you should let your sister answer for herself," Philip admonished with a concerned frown.

"He's right, Dad. I don't want a doctor." Isabel forced a smile. "It was just a nightmare. I don't even remember it." She laughed slightly. It hurt to use her throat. She smiled wider to cover the wince of pain. "I'll just get a glass of milk, or something, and try to get some more sleep."

Diane pulled the covers up and pressed a hand firmly to Isabel's shoulder. "Don't you get up, sweetie. I'll get your milk for you. I'll heat it up and add a little sugar." The motherly smile twinkled from her face, and she bustled out the room. Philip followed. Max stayed.

He was still staring at her. His gaze was intense. She did not know how Liz could take such a gaze. She was suffocating again, just from him looking at her.

"What do you want, Max?" Her voice, no longer forced for her parents' sake, was harsh and grating. She waited for a response. When one was not forthcoming, she braved looking at him… and wished she had suppressed the urge.

His eyes were dark and cold. They swirled like deep ocean currents. "What were you doing?" His voice matched his eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked lightly, masking the unease she felt.

"You were dreamwalking again, weren't you?" he demanded.

She laughed softly. "Of course not. It was just a nightmare. Some dark, twisted nightmare." She shivered for effect, resentful that the shiver was very real.

Max continued looking at her for long moments. She refused to meet his gaze again. It was too soon after the strange visit to Liz's head. Too soon after the piercing eyes had pinned her mind.

Diane came into the room again. "Here you are, honey. Drink up, and try to get some rest." She smiled tiredly. Turning, she saw Max. "Max? You should be in bed. I know you're worried about your sister, but the best thing for her now is rest." She took her son by the arm and led him from the room. Her voice drifted into the room. "You have a test tomorrow, don't you? Did you study for it? I'm sure you'll do great. Just don't let tonight worry you too much."

Isabel crawled from the bed and closed the door, cutting off the endless prattle. She loved her mother dearly, but sometimes… the woman was a complete chatterbox. Worse than Maria, even. She smiled at the thought before turning to her vanity. In the drawer, she had hidden her "Liz Journal" as a sheaf of stationary. She opened the journal and wrote.

After writing down the stream she had gotten from Liz's mind, she looked at the pages. She drew a quick slash across the page. Below it, she jotted her impressions, as well as some questions.

_Why had Max tried to probe her mind? Why had he tried to force a connection with her? Why was Liz suffering from the connection she and Max had? Was Max able to hurt someone with a connection? And why were the intense looks she had seen for the past year between the two just a mask for a deep obsession? Why had it never been noticed before?_

Tossing and turning in her sleep, Liz had no relief from the onslaught in her mind. She was helpless to turn off the barrage of images, helpless and frightened at the power of those images. Some part of herself that remained only hers was fighting. That part fought against the waves of despair resulting from those images, fought to free her mind from the strange painful connection deep in her mind.

Her window opened and a figure climbed down from her balcony. The man watched intently, moonlight silhouetting his tall form, as the girl continued to toss and turn, sweat beading down her face.

His silent footsteps closed the distance between them. He eased himself onto the edge of the girl's bed and reached out a hand to touch her face. As he let his hand rest against her cheek, his own face changed to become identical to Max Evans' face. The hand touching Liz began to glow.

The crease between her brows smoothed itself out, the tense lines of her body sank into the bed bonelessly, and her dark brown eyes languorously blinked open to look at the man next to her. She regarded him without speaking. He smiled down at her and she smiled tiredly back.

"Sleep, Liz," he whispered. His voice was kind and soft.

"Max?" Her hopeful tone was pleading.

"It's okay, Liz," he assured her. "I'll never leave you." He let his hand stroke her long, dark hair.

The girl yawned in response. She smiled sleepily and her eyes drifted shut. The man continued his quiet ministrations until dawn touched the sky. He blinked grainy eyes at the morning sky and turned back to Liz. He pressed a slight kiss to her forehead and noiselessly left the same way he had come.

Her alarm went off a bare thirty minutes after the young man had left. For the first time in ages, Liz awoke with a feeling of peace. She hummed as she showered and got ready to face a new school day. She did not remember her dreams, but she had a feeling she had had a good one.


End file.
